Counting carbs/calories is a drag. Obsessive scale stepping is a recipe for despair. If you want to count something, "days on habit" is a much better metric. Checking off days on a calendar would do just fine, but if you do it here you get accountability and support. Here's how. Start a new topic in this forum called (say) "Your Name Daily Check In." Then every N day post a "reply" to that topic as to whether you stayed on habit. A simple "<font color="green">SUCCESS</font>" or "<font color="red">FAILURE</font>" (or your preferred euphemism if that's too harsh) is sufficient, but obviously you're welcome to write more if you want. On S-days just register that you're taking an S-day. You don't have to do this forever, just until you're confident you've built the habit. Feel free to check in weekly or monthly or sporadically instead of daily. Feel free also to track other habits besides No-s (I'm keeping this forum under No-s because that's what the vast majority are using it for). See also my <a href="/habitcal/">HabitCal</a> tool for another more formal (and perhaps complementary) way to track habits.

I had a red day yesterday for the first time all month. Our department head came by with cards and chocolate spring treats for us, and although I waited until after dinner, I still ate half the bar. I have a feeling the next several days are going to be challenging for me with all the Easter temptations, but if I wait until the weekend it will be that much more rewarding! I did buy a nice chocolate bunny for myself for Sunday, and I know I'll be having a large dinner with my boyfriend's family (Italian food and people, last time we were there for almost three hours eating and talking!) on Sunday. Good stuff to look forward to!

Another red day. I brought some treats into work and ended up cutting up the rest of the cake and putting most of it into the freezer. Some of it also ended up in my stomach. Could have been worse. I didn't give in to WTH and stopped at the cake. So, I guess No-S has taught me some self control.

Last night I noticed some good changes in my body, some areas that had slimmed a bit. So maybe limiting my S's on weekends has been helping! There's almost always something good to be found even when I have a failure.

Green day, although I am feeling a little too full from dinner. I know I need to start paying more attention to the food on the plates! I did get my usual 30-40 minutes of walking in. I struggled mid-morning with hunger but tea helped me through until lunch.

Haven't read all of your posts, but wanted to congratulate you on more than a year of No S-ing.

IF you can find some health issue that REALLY speaks to you, not just one that you might think you're supposed to adopt, things can go a lot faster. If not, not much else you can do but keep enjoying your meals!

Sorry if you've written about this but do you actually get hungry for your meals?

Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 9 years & counting
Age 65
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

Hi, Oolala. Yes, I do get hungry for my meals. It's almost 7 hours between breakfast and lunch and about 5 hours between lunch and dinner. The mid-morning snack habit was actually easier to break than I thought it would be last year. If I find that hunger at work is too much for even tea to help with, I'll have some apple or orange juice.

Just wondered because I was lucky in that as I got less hungry between meals, I could shave off some of the food on my plates to get the hunger back. I think that contributed to losing over time. And eventually, I had some very LIGHT S days, even lighter than N days. But I had lots of plateaus, too. I just kept going'.

Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 9 years & counting
Age 65
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

Two green days in a row after a heavy weekend. I'm noticing some good changes in my body again, and I plan to stay away from the scale for a few weeks. Just recently I've been in a mindset of "all I want is to be thin for once in my life." Not the best way to think, I know, but all I can do is let the thought sit for a time and then move on to something else. I'm getting control over my eating habits and that's what matters right now.

Impressive that you can let the thought just be there and move on. That might be bigger than not eating. I've been working on that one for over 10 years; I'd say I've been able to do it decently only in the last six months. Double kudos to you!

Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 9 years & counting
Age 65
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

My birthday a couple of days ago was a good S-day. I had breakfast, and then one of my co-workers brought in some treats and I had a small piece of cake, a cookie, and some fruit. I had a chocolate bar with lunch. And I went out for dinner and had one of my favorite desserts. Other than the morning treats, there was no eating outside of meal times, and after dinner I recognized that I was full and just had some tea to finish the day.

I took a little bit of time away from the site to see how well I maintained the habits without the support provided here, and I did very well. No red days in that time, which I think is a good sign. I also stayed away from another "diet" website I'm a member of and most articles that pertained to diet or nutrition, just so I could clear my head for a bit. It was a nice break, to be honest. I just went about my life, 3 meals a day with No snacks, No sweets, No seconds, and enjoyed some treats on S-days. It gives me hope that I've changed my habits for good.

S-day Saturday:
Breakfast: eggs, toast, banana, tea
Snack: cookie
Lunch: sesame chicken, general tsos chicken, rice, diet coke
Almost snack: I needed to kill some time at a cafe and ordered a diet coke and a cookie. I drank the soda, thought about the cookie but decided I wanted to be hungry for dinner, and saved it for today.
Dinner at Houlihans: salad, 1/2 French dip sandwich and fries, ice cream sundae

Today is already a red day. We had a meeting at work, and when I first went in I resisted the bagels (since I had already had breakfast a few hours before that) and just picked up a glass of grape juice. On the way out, though, I went to see what kind of bagels there were, and ended up having one. It was good, but it did give me my one red square for this month on the Habitcal. But all I can do is keep to No-S the rest of the day, which shouldn't be too hard.

Thanks, Oolala. I do indeed try to be rational when something like this happens. There are going to be times when I end up with a habit "failure" and I'm still surprised at how far I've come in resisting the WTH effect.

I think I've been losing some weight recently. I ordered a shirt in a size L from a place where I normally get an XL and it fits pretty comfortably. Most of my XL tops are still good, so I can take some time replacing them, but sometimes I'll put one on and think "wow, that's big!". I never thought I'd be telling myself that my clothes were too big! I also took a little time to study myself in the mirror at work today and thought about how far I've come. Even before No-S I had gradually lost over 50 pounds through changing some things, but it's been these new habits that have really made me feel good about myself.

I don't know that I can completely take all the credit for it. In 2007 I was diagnosed with PCOS and the doctor started me on Metformin. I found myself to be less hungry sometimes and turning away from some of the massive snacks/sweets. (A bowl piled high with ice cream? No thanks, how about half of that!) Shortly after that I moved from Tacoma, WA to Plainsboro, NJ for a job and started exercising a bit more regularly and initially lost about 30 pounds. After a few years, I lost about 10 more although I don't remember changing much except adding tea as a regular beverage. I stopped taking the Metformin in 2014, lost a few pounds doing intuitive eating because I just got tired of some of the foods that I gave myself complete permission to eat, and then I started No-S in March of 2015.

I do think the Metformin helped in the weight loss, although I admit I don't know the mechanics behind it. I started taking it again this January because of some problems with the PCOS so that could be what's helping with a bit of weight loss now, but I think it's combined with the No-S habits and that just eating less makes my body feel better. So those 50 pounds were over the course of about 8 years, plus the few that I've lost in the last year. I still think of myself as being a bigger person than I am, so seeing the clothing sizes I can fit into now is still a surprise to me. My boyfriend's mother gave me pajamas in a size L for my birthday, and I've come to accept that people see my body differently than I see it now.

If you didn't start overeating and gaining after getting off the meds, I think you can take some credit! You don't have to be on a strict diet to take credit for changes that lead to loss, even if they weren't actually intended that way. In fact, I'd say some of the more successful maintenance comes from people making changes for other reasons. The weight loss is often a side effect. Then other people say, "How did you do it?" These days I want to answer, "I had the right reasons to change my habits. If you don't have similar ones or better ones, it prolly won't work..."

Last edited by oolala53 on Thu May 05, 2016 9:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 9 years & counting
Age 65
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

I just came back from spending a week with my family across the country and while I had good intentions on following No-S there were some failures. I did notice, though, that there was very little snacking. Most of my excesses came from seconds and sweets within a set meal period (extra garlic bread, cookies right after the main course). I think that did help me to realize that I could still get through the day with only three meal times. I also went for a 5 mile walk with my dad and spent the weekend at the camp where I used to work and walked around that property all day, so there was a lot of physical activity. I had some red days mixed in with the S-days, but after really thinking about it I know it's still a change from previous years.

I have a short vacation weekend coming up at the beginning of June and I think I'll probably handle it the same way. If I have a failure on the N-days, I'll try to keep it within a meal time and not let the WTH effect get to me.

Saturday was pretty calm, S-wise. Today was heavier and I'm feeling that tonight. Maybe it's part of my body getting used to less food and fewer sweets. I definitely could have saved the ice cream for later this week. I'm also wondering if Memorial Day should be an S-day for me. It's been a pretty quiet holiday the past few years and keeping it an N-day might be a good thing for me.

I noticed this morning that I've actually gained some weight recently, although I don't know if it's from all my indulgences while on vacation, the amount of food on my normal plates, or "feminine" issues. I also haven't been sleeping well, although I think that could be fixed with new pillows or a new mattress. Yesterday I worked out to one of my Leslie Sansone videos and decided to do all 10 of the mini-workouts, so it was an hour and forty minutes. Maybe something about seeing that number on the scale just a bit over 190 prompted me to do that? I did have the usual 3 meals and no snacks, sweets, or seconds yesterday.

I've noticed that when I'm out in restaurants lately I tend to eat almost everything on my plate even if I feel like I'm getting full. It's rare these days that I'll actually feel overstuffed, but there's a point at which my body wants to stop and I'll just go over it. Maybe it's the mentality of "I have just this one plate for dinner, I need to eat all of it." That might work at home, when I have smaller portions, but I need to start looking more at my habits when eating out.

I'm thinking of treating myself to a Cinnabon this Saturday. I don't think I've had one in almost fifteen years, and I can stop at the mall to get one on Friday and warm it up in the morning. That seems like an S-day worthy treat.

My activity level is pretty good, I think. I generally walk about 30-40 minutes each weekday during my breaks at work, even if it's not always fast aerobic walking. When I do workouts at home it's always a Leslie Sansone walking video, although I usually do ones that are 30-45 minutes in length, not the insanely long workout from yesterday. The 10 10-minute walks video is a great one and I usually choose 3-4 segments.

I know this post might seem a little disjointed, maybe because I didn't sleep well again last night, but I'm just trying to figure out why I haven't seen the loss I've been hoping for. No-S is a great thing, and I did lose several pounds on it initially, so I'm trying to figure out what I'm doing differently now. Maybe the S-days need some modification, and maybe my plates are too big. All I can do is try to figure this out step by step.

Writing it all out like that, it doesn't seem as much as it did during the weekend. The Cinnabon was good, but definitely should be a rare treat. I set out some cookies on a plate on Saturday and didn't finish them all, so the rest will go back in the freezer for a future S-day. The cappuccino cake was shared with my boyfriend, and they split it up for us onto two separate plates, which was nice.

I'm heading to Minneapolis this weekend for a family wedding. I labeled Friday as an S-day because of flying (and whatever I need to do to not get sick) and because I'm taking my boyfriend to the Mall of America (his first time, but I've been there several times before) and if I come across something delicious I want to feel free to try it. I'm not expecting to eat much outside of meals, but there is a store there called "Cupcake" that I might want to buy from, plus whatever dinner option we choose. I can definitely tell the difference now when I eat too much, and didn't even finish my salad yesterday (it was filling). Eating all I want on S-days seems to be becoming a thing of the past.

ceo418 wrote: I can definitely tell the difference now when I eat too much, and didn't even finish my salad yesterday (it was filling). Eating all I want on S-days seems to be becoming a thing of the past.

This is great, ceo418.
How do you, indeed 'tell' when you've 'eaten too much'?
A thread on this issue garnered quite a few contributions: https://everydaysystems.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=10955
And it must feel great to be managing S-Days properly. And you're right, on paper your S-Days look tame.

I guess I can tell when I've eaten too much simply by the way I feel. At that point even the idea of food doesn't appeal to me. Of course, it fades away when I become hungry for next meal, but I learn from it.

I'm looking forward to my trip this weekend. It should be fun, and I'll get to try some new restaurants and see family members I love to be with. Food will be secondary, but of course we all need to eat so it will definitely be on my mind.

I think the trip was successful. On Friday I enjoyed a muffin at the airport before my flight and some pretzel M&Ms on the plane. When we got to the Mall of America, we had a light lunch before taking off to do some shopping and then enjoyed dinner there before heading out to the town where my cousin's wedding was taking place.

On Saturday I had a light breakfast at the hotel and my boyfriend and I joined up with my dad and his wife to do some shopping and sightseeing. While in town, I treated myself and my boyfriend to some ice cream from a local shop and bought some chocolates, then had a light lunch. At the wedding, there was a buffet dinner and cake, and I had maybe a bit too much to drink. Really, that was my only real excess of the weekend, I think.

On Sunday again I had a light breakfast and a snack before a barbecue dinner at another cousin's house. On Monday I ate breakfast with my dad and his wife, and then at the airport my boyfriend and I had lunch and then ate dinner after landing and driving back home. All in all, a good weekend.

I think I had a bit too many excesses during May and I'd like to work on that in the next few weeks. I think I'm going to try a mod inspired by some recent conversations on here, and that is still staying with the no snacks or seconds pattern but giving myself permission to have one serving of a sweet a day. I don't have to have it, but if I have one serving then the N-day is still green, and if I have anything more than that I'll mark it as red and move on. I'll still have the S-days, and I'd like to see if anything changes in my habits with giving myself permission for one sweet each day. I'm expecting that the N-days will be mainly vanilla with an occasional indulgence, and that my S-days will continue to calm down to the point where I really can reach the "sometimes" and not "always" goal.

Saturday was a pretty good S-day for me. I had three meals with no snacks outside of meal time, and my one sweet was a small peanut butter cup sundae with vanilla ice cream. On Sunday I had a chocolate bar with lunch and some cookies in the evening, along with appetizers at dinner. Saturday was probably more what I'd like my weekend S-days to look like eventually.

I'm trying to make a commitment to three days of longer aerobic workouts per week, probably mostly with the Leslie Sansone videos or longer walks in the park. The other day will be my usual parking lot walking at work or whatever other exercise I decide to do. I think three days is a good level for me, one I can easily keep to.

Though there is debate over what the minimum should be, I say you are way ahead of the game with that exercise routine. I'm STILL in the aspiration stage. I guess if I made it a rule that I couldn't post about eating issues anywhere until I'd gotten my minimum in each day, I'd either do it, or the boards would hear a lot less of my pontificating. But my addiction to posting is in the driver's seat right now.

Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 9 years & counting
Age 65
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

I've done well the past couple of weeks with three longer aerobic workouts. Last week it was two videos and an hour on the treadmill in the apartment complex fitness center. I've already done one for this week, and will probably do another one tonight. I've allowed myself sweets on N-days just a couple of time and stuck to one serving size both times without going for more, so I'm pretty happy about that.

I'm getting ready to move into a two-bedroom apartment with my boyfriend at the end of August, which will be a big change from the last nine years living alone in a studio apartment. I'll have more room, and some private space with the second bedroom as an office/reading room. I'm hoping that a solid foundation of No-S will help me keep my habits when I'm living with someone else. He drinks a lot of regular soda and really only eats a breakfast of cookies and chocolate milk most days along with one large meal later on in the day. I'm not worried about my breakfast or lunches being affected, but it will be dinner and maybe wanting to snack or have dessert in the evening that will probably become a challenge for me, based on my history. I guess all I can do is try to keep to vanilla No-S as much as possible and not beat myself over the head for any red days I might have as I go through that transition. It's still a couple of months away, but knowing when it's coming can help me prepare for it mentally.

Yesterday was a red day. I was fine with three meals, and then after dinner I are a couple of Hershey's miniatures. That would have been fine under my current mod, but then I baked a box of brownies and ate three of them. They were good, but it was too much for an N- day. Today i've had two more brownies (the rest are in the freezer), seconds at dinner, and will have red velvet cake later tonight. It's not as wild an S- day as i've had in the past.

I decided that today should be an S day because of a cookout at work and a co- worker birthday. It feels like i've had an incredible amount of food today:
Breakfast: honey bunches of oats cereal, banana
Snack: chocolate chip cookie, fruit
Lunch: hamburger, small bag of chips, cookie
Snack: 1 small piece mousse cake, 1 small piece cheesecake
Dinner: chicken stir fry and noodles
Dessert: ice cream sandwich

I did walk for 40 minutes today. I know we can't mess up on S- days, but i'm feeling like something went wrong. Tomorrow is an N day before the weekend, and i'm looking forward to it.

I feel like i've had way too much food over the past several days. Maybe it's time to just shift back to vanilla No- S for awhile, with no mods. I have the best of intentions when I try to allow myself some leeway on N days, but i've come to realize that two days a week of relaxed eating habits is plenty. Of course, if there are any truly special circumstances I will allow for those, but right now i'm in a place where the habits need to be strengthened.

Even though it's hot here today, I made banana bread. Baked goods sometimes blur lines for me. Cookies, cakes, and other obvious treats are for S- days. Things like banana bread and zucchini muffins are items that I tend to eat on some N- days, but only as part of a meal such as with soup. If I bought the bread, though, i'd probably be more likely to save it for S- days. Maybe it's just the thought that I know what went into the homemade bread that makes it seem like less of an S. As long as I don't just snack on it, like I was tempted to do tonight, i'm comfortable with the lines i've drawn here.

Yum, I love banana bread! I think some of the mods or allowances we make for ourselves are fine. It really depends on our personal reasons for doing No S. They're okay as long as they ultimately support our goals...weight loss, bingeing, sugar-cravings, etc. Or even if they move us in that direction. You will know soon enough if it isn't working. That's one of the things I love about no S. It doesn't take too long to get adequate feedback.

Red day today. I was doing well until dinner, when I only had a salad plate available and put some leftover casserole and carrots on that. (The other dishes were in the dishwasher). I did a workout later, then got hungry and caved in and had a small bowl of cereal, about half what I have for breakfast. It's been hot here and eating that did make me physically feel better, but it's still an S.

I'm taking today as an S- day because of a train trip. I decided to use some of my rewards points and go to Chicago, returning tomorrow with about an 8 hour layover there. (I've been there before, the main point of the trip is being on two trains that I haven't been on before). I don't expect to do a lot of snacking most of the weekend, but if I get a chance tonight to eat in the dining car I wanted to be able to order dessert without feeling like it should be a red day. I'm bringing a small bag of food along for a couple of my meals.

I weighed myself again this morning and at least i've been holding pretty steady lately. I would like to get my weight moving down again, though, so after this weekend it's time to be a bit more strict, especially with my N- days and what I consider to be S- worthy on S- days.

So after seeing the scale this morning, I confirmed the idea in my head that I need to get back to basic Vanilla No-S. It seems like my hardest days are Wednesdays and Fridays, so those are times when I'll need to really think about what I'm doing. No-S is such a good way to manage my food intake, and yet I seem to keep messing up. The time I lost the most weight was really when I first started about 15 months ago, so I really should remember what it was that I was doing back then. Really, just the first 21 days and selective treats on weekends.

I've been doing well with my workouts, though, so I can't complain too much on that end. I do want to start paying attention to how much food is on my plate and whether I really need to eat as much as I do. Yesterday I really wasn't all that hungry when it reached lunch time, which is unusual because it had been almost 7 hours since breakfast, but I'm glad I ate anyway because I think my body felt better with the food inside it. I've been trying to establish a regular work lunch that doesn't conflict with what I want for dinner each night. I think it's down to either flavored yogurt with crackers and veggies or a sandwich of some type with veggies and chips. I've been getting plates from the cafeteria at work to make sure everything fits on there, and so far I've been good about that.

So, lots to think about. I've been pondering the issues that may come up when I move in with my boyfriend. We don't see each other a lot during the week right now so he's not there to observe how I usually don't eat after dinner. I'm going to be as strict as possible but not beat myself up if there's an adjustment period of a month or so. He definitely does not have the same eating habits as me (chocolate milk with cookies for breakfast most days, lots of Coke and some snacks while at work or home, and one big meal most days, occasionally with dessert). It will work out!

Let's hope your sane, moderate habits generalize to him, and not the other way around! I wouldn't let on that I was going it as part of a "diet," though. To paraphrase Frost, something there is that doesn't love a diet.

Never forget that what you are doing has sustained whole cultures very effectively, and with a lot of enjoyment in the eating! SAD can claim similar results only for the exceptions, which is what your boyfriend probably is. We actually won't know for a couple of decades...

Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 9 years & counting
Age 65
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

I baked some cookies this past Sunday and ate some afterwards while putting most of them in the freezer. For some reason the chocolate chip cookies tasted different than they usually do from that recipe. Either something's changed in my taste or else I did something different that I don't remember. They're still good, though. I also made sugar cookies, as I'm trying to use up my baking supplies so I can wash out the canisters and get them packed up.

Lately I've been wondering if maybe I've developed a sensitivity to some dairy products. The last two mornings I haven't had any milk and I have felt better than usual. I've had stomach problems off and on for about a month and a half, during which I've eaten quite a bit of ice cream and had cereal with milk nearly every day. I'm trying some yogurt for lunch today to see how I feel, as I don't want to end up having to give up all dairy! I can live with possible discomfort for S-worthy treats, but if it means I don't have my daily milk than I'm fine with that.

The heat wave that was settled over this area finally cleared out, so the temperatures have been more tolerable as well. Sometimes when it's hot and humid I want to go home and have something cold and sweet to soothe my temper. It never happens except on S-days, but someday I hope to not have my thoughts turn to ice cream on every overly hot summer day.

I didn't feel stuffed after dinner on Saturday, probably because I didn't eat anything between lunch and dinner. I did have seconds at dinner on Sunday (probably could have just taken the two pork chops from the start, they would have fit on my plate).

I did something a little unusual with my Chinese take-out last night. I usually get a combination that includes an entrée, rice, and an egg roll. It's always a lot of food, but because it's in one dish I've counted it as one plate. Last night I was starting to eat my sweet and sour chicken when I realized that I didn't want to have the same overly-full feeling I often get when eating the whole dish, so I got another container and divided it into almost half, then set aside the extra portion for lunch at work today. That got me started thinking more about focusing on my portions in the future, and I thought it was a good step forward.

ceo418 wrote:I did something a little unusual with my Chinese take-out last night. I usually get a combination that includes an entrée, rice, and an egg roll. It's always a lot of food, but because it's in one dish I've counted it as one plate. Last night I was starting to eat my sweet and sour chicken when I realized that I didn't want to have the same overly-full feeling I often get when eating the whole dish, so I got another container and divided it into almost half, then set aside the extra portion for lunch at work today. That got me started thinking more about focusing on my portions in the future, and I thought it was a good step forward.

I love this! I did the same with a Café Rio salad the other day. I even ordered one of their tortillas extra, so I could have half that day, and half the next day for lunch. Isn't it wonderful! I think that is doable EVERY time we eat out, even asking for take home containers to start with.

Also, eating slowly and chewing each bite thoroughly is helping me with the size of my meals.

I took an S-day yesterday because I donated blood and decided that was reason enough to let myself have a couple of extra treats if I wanted them. After the donation itself I had a small bag of pretzels with water and some Oreos, and then the only other item that was really an "S" was a scoop of ice cream for dessert. Otherwise, it was a regular N-day.

I did have a red day on Wednesday. I found out from the leasing office at my apartment building that our new apartment won't be ready at the promised time because the previous tenants did too much damage and they have to fix more than they usually would. My move has been delayed only a little over a week, but it was enough to make me turn to some emotional eating before stopping myself and making a list of everything that needed to be done. Luckily, I got it all done yesterday and the move is back on track.

Realistically, it wasn't even a lot of overeating: three cookies and a couple of fun-size candy bars, all after dinner. It was just the breach in habit that made me chalk it up as a failure, and then I returned to as normal a day as possible yesterday.

I've been feeling a little lost with my eating recently. Every time I think I can handle a modification of the rules I end up going overboard with it. So I'm going to go with 21 days of Vanilla No- S, no mods, and taking Labor Day as an S- day. It's time to get back to the basics of what has really worked well in helping me find sanity in my relationship with food.

The last two evenings have been extremely easy for me. I guess the No-S habits have become so ingrained that my body seems to be saying "No food after dinner? Sure, no problem." I do often drink some tea or seltzer in the evenings while watching TV, but not eating along with the drinks is one thing that No-S has really helped me with. (The ads at the bottom of the page right now, though, are for chocolate chip cookies and M&Ms! Holy temptation, Batman!)

I've definitely had worse S-days in the past. In fact, on Saturday afternoon I had to remind myself that it was an S-day and I could have the M&Ms as a snack. The cheesecake was delicious, and as I only ate half of the very huge salad I was able to finish my dessert without that stuffed feeling. Maybe I'll try to get a smaller meal the next time I eat out, because restaurant portions are starting to look very large to me. There was a time when I would not have had any second thoughts about eating an entire meal and dessert, even if I knew I'd feel way too full afterwards.

So the past few evenings have been good. My boyfriend and I are both in my studio apartment right now, waiting for our new apartment to be ready, and in the past this would have had sent me to the kitchen in search of cookies and candy bars to help with my anxiety. Instead, because of No-S, I have managed to keep my food to one plate. I did add grapes the first two evenings because I wanted that little taste of fruit at the end of the meal, but last night it was just the actual dinner. I even adjusted my plate a bit last night to add some vegetables to the pasta my boyfriend had cooked so that I could keep up my usual dinner routine.

So far, I think this might be an easier adjustment than I thought it would be. On Tuesday night, my boyfriend said he was having some ice cream and asked me if I wanted any. I was really tempted to say yes, but instead just shook my head and drank my tea while he ate the ice cream. I know one thing I'm going to have this weekend!

Yes, I did still want the ice cream, and so I had some chocolate chip mint ice cream on Saturday night and ate an ice cream sandwich on Sunday night. I also used the S-day holiday yesterday to have lunch at the Olive Garden and tried their pumpkin cheesecake. It was good, but I was very full afterwards and realized that I could have not ordered it and still been happy with the meal. Maybe my appetite is adjusting to smaller amounts of food.

There were a couple of times last week when I thought the one-plate rule might be a struggle on the nights that my boyfriend made dinner, but I stuck to it while still feeling well-fed. Hopefully I can keep doing that. This Friday is moving day and is guaranteed to be crazy with signing the new lease, getting the small stuff out of the old apartment and into the new one, directing the moving guys around and having the cable installer come before most of the furniture will be in the new apartment. I'm going to try as hard as I can to keep it an N-day, and since it's going to be hot I probably won't feel like eating much, but I'm not going to be hard on myself if it turns into a red day because I decided on a snack in the middle of the afternoon.

I did decide to make it an NWS day. The moving company called a bit after their truck was supposed to show up to let me know that the truck assigned to my move had broken down (just one more thing to go wrong!) and they changed the move to Saturday. So, after all morning of moving the small stuff out of my apartment and only having some yogurt and grapes, I went to the new apartment and had a small snack while waiting for the cable guy to finish. Then, my boyfriend and I went out for a delicious dinner that included an appetizer, main course, and dessert.

Saturday ended up being easy food-wise because it was an S-day. Sunday I was invited to a birthday lunch for my boyfriend's niece's 16th birthday at a Chinese restaurant. So much food! And of course cake and ice cream. The cake was so rich that I even left some untouched. I felt very uncomfortable most of the rest of the day, and it was a good reminder why I went on No-S: because I didn't want to eat like that on a regular basis ever again! I had a small snack before bed.

This morning I was hungrier than usual between breakfast and lunch, probably because of yesterday, but I'm relieved for the N-days again. I'm looking forward to perusing through the bags of Halloween candy at the store to find the right product mix to put in my candy dishes for S-day treats in the coming weeks.

Yesterday my boyfriend worked the later shift (the shop is supposed to close at 7, but they have to stay until all the cars have been worked on) and came home around 7:50. Sometimes when this happens we'll just eat separately, but we had decided to eat together last night. Since this is a lot later than we normally eat, I chose to order pizza instead of cooking.

When I got home from work and knew it was going to be a late dinner, I ate an apple. When I was looking at what the specials were on the pizza place website, I considered ordering the option that included a dessert of either a large chocolate chip cookie or a small pan of brownies. Then, I thought about how it was only Thursday and the week had been going well so far. I also remembered that I had eaten the apple to help ward off hunger. So, I just ordered our usual pizza and breadsticks, and left a spot on my plate for the apple.

I consider that a success, even if the apple could be considered a "snack." It was a form of virtual plating, and I didn't cave in and order the dessert that would have made it a red day or turn to cookies or chocolate bars to satisfy my hunger.

Saturday:
Breakfast: eggs, toast, banana, tea
Lunch: Chinese buffet. honey chicken, a few pieces of 2 other types of chicken, green beans, lo mein, 2 spring rolls, white rice. Didn't have any of the desserts.
Snack: fun-size chocolate bars
Dinner: French dip (wasn't the best choice, and I took a lot of the beef off the sandwich because it was hard to bite into), fries, and shared pot stickers appetizer.
Dessert: cookie bars that I made during the day.

I was very tempted to turn today into a red day. It was another boyfriend working late/late dinner night, and this time I had some yogurt when I got home and left room on the plate. After dinner, I immediately got some ice cream out of the freezer, then thought about it. Tomorrow is an S- day because we're going to a baseball game, and dinner was enough for me. Instead of the ice cream I made peppermint tea and decided to look forward to indulging tomorrow.

ceo418 wrote:I was very tempted to turn today into a red day. It was another boyfriend working late/late dinner night, and this time I had some yogurt when I got home and left room on the plate. After dinner, I immediately got some ice cream out of the freezer, then thought about it. Tomorrow is an S- day because we're going to a baseball game, and dinner was enough for me. Instead of the ice cream I made peppermint tea and decided to look forward to indulging tomorrow.

Good for you! I wanted a red day today too! I help at our church youth group, and they had gooey chocolate chip bars out and a bunch of other treats...I held out too. S day is coming .

Homeschool Mom and No S returnee as of 11-30-15.
2 years and counting on No-S.
29 lbs. down, 34 to go. Slow and steady wins the race.
Respect Moderation

I replaced the lid on one of the Halloween candy dishes I set out this weekend, so I'll be okay with not eating what's in there until this weekend. The other dish, a small cauldron sitting on a bookcase near the front door, is plainly visible but I don't think it will tempt me too much.

Another nearly red day on Friday. I took a cookie out of the freezer and set it aside to have it after dinner, almost without thinking. However, we ended up needing to go out and buy some more shelving units and put them together, and as that took up the rest of the evening I forgot about the cookie until Saturday. I think I really need to go back and review some of the podcasts, including the strictness one, to remind myself why I started No-S.

I've also noticed lately that when I start thinking about food, I think about eating less than I do even now, and how that would probably satisfy me just as much. So once again I need to look at my plates and see what's on there and what I could remove or change to make that happen. I don't need to overhaul everything. In fact, one of the reasons I was attracted to No-S in the first place is that I could still eat my regular meals, just with not as much sugar and no snacking or seconds on N-days. So, just some small tweaks should be good to start with.

It sure is interesting how food can take such a back seat when other compelling things come to the fore, such as in your story about the shelving. (But I can get tired of thinking I have to keep coming up with more diversions. None have appeared as consistent habits. But don't want to bogart.)

Here's to a great green week.

Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 9 years & counting
Age 65
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

Yesterday was a nice return to N-days after an off-the-rails weekend. Friday was an NWS-day because of a trip out of town, and it began with two donuts and ended with carrot cake after a dinner that really was enough to satisfy me. On Saturday I had a small breakfast, got hungry while waiting during the day for a buffet dinner and had a small hamburger and fries, and then did the buffet just a few hours later. I felt uncomfortable after that, and I probably could have just gone light at the buffet (there were some delicious soups and breads there, and salad) and still been happy with it.

On Sunday I had another small breakfast, a hot chocolate from Starbucks, and when we got home I wasn't all that hungry (maybe still full from the day before?) but felt I should eat so I had some leftover tuna casserole and a dessert I picked up before we left our trip destination. Just a few hours after that, I ordered pizza that my boyfriend and I ate for dinner, along with some candy bars. The result of this weekend was that I became physically ill Sunday night.

I think I need to learn how to adjust my eating for earlier dinner times most days now. My boyfriend likes to have dinner between 5 and 5:30, whereas I used to eat closer to 6. It really does make a difference to my body. I should probably start having smaller lunches, especially at work, so that I can actually be hungry when it's time for dinner. That's been a tough part of adjusting to someone else's habits and appetites.

No-S does give me some good structure, though. He hasn't really commented on my not eating after dinner during the week. In truth, I'm not sure he really notices whether I snack or not, which I think is good. I found a new shirt at a thrift shop over the weekend and really enjoy how I look in it, so that was a bonus!

ceo418 wrote:No-S does give me some good structure, though. He hasn't really commented on my not eating after dinner during the week. In truth, I'm not sure he really notices whether I snack or not, which I think is good. I found a new shirt at a thrift shop over the weekend and really enjoy how I look in it, so that was a bonus!

Yes, I often find it funny how something I'm so conscious of, someone else can be oblivious to!

Enjoy your new shirt

Homeschool Mom and No S returnee as of 11-30-15.
2 years and counting on No-S.
29 lbs. down, 34 to go. Slow and steady wins the race.
Respect Moderation

Other people! Other people could be such an asset if they would just do it our way...

I think slightly lighter lunches will help. Take it from someone who rarely gets hungry for three meals anymore no matter how little she eats (it's not a blessing in my book), it's worth some juggling to make it happen.

And be happy he doesn't notice your eating much. I can't believe how much people in my family watch each other. No, not that they watch but that they comment!

Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 9 years & counting
Age 65
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

I made Halloween chocolate chip and sugar cookies this weekend, which are all now safely tucked away in the freezer for the appropriate times. I'm flying home for a long trip this Friday and so am taking an S-day to help with the odd time change (3 hours back).

I don't think I've weighed myself since late August, since before I moved, but I can feel that some changes have happened. I'm feeling more bones in some places, and my jeans are starting to get looser in spots. I will probably weigh myself on Friday morning just to see where I am before heading off on vacation. I'm going to try to keep to No-S as much as possible while I'm gone, but as usual I'll relax my standards just a bit as to what would be a "red day" while I'm with my family.

I've been reading back through all my posts and thinking of bringing back a mod and trying it again. I'll allow myself one serving of a sweet each day if I want it, and if I don't have anything then that's it. The servings don't get carried over to the next day.

I'll still have S-days, but realistically I'm probably going to keep the one-serving mod on most weekends and save the rules relaxation for birthdays and holidays, and sometimes NWS days that I take during the month (e.g. blood donation, special days at work, etc.). I'd like to give this a try. I'm still keeping the No-Snacks and No-Seconds, one-plate rules, because those have gone really well for me.

I think this mod will especially help me when I'm with my family next week. I can have my usual three meals a day, and a sweet if the opportunity comes up and I want it. If I don't, then I won't have it. Anything more than one serving (determined either by packaging or by my decision on home-made sweets) results in a red day. I'll probably keep track of how often I actually make use of this mod for a month and see where I am then. Already this week I had a piece of cake after dinner on Monday night, and then Tuesday I passed up cake at work and didn't have anything beyond my meals. I think that's a good sign for the habits I've acquired with No-S.

I think I did fairly well on my trip. I didn't eat a lot of snacks, but enjoyed treats like hot chocolate and apple cider after going on long walks with my dad. I also ate some ice cream a few nights, tried a lemon meringue pie, and enjoyed a dessert at a restaurant I like. I did say no to some things, as well. As far as I can tell, I didn't gain any weight while I was gone, and that's a success in and of itself. I was going to have two homemade cookies last night per my mod, but decided that the three meals were enough for me and I didn't want the treat.

My favorite holiday is next Monday! I'm taking Halloween as an S-day to allow for enjoyment of any S's that may come my way. I am bringing cookies and candy into work tomorrow to help celebrate, as my company doesn't do anything official, and as usual I will just leave them in a certain room and people can come and go as they want to take something from the table. I know I'll probably have some leftovers, but I can handle that now, probably better than I could last year, and wait until the weekend.

After a somewhat messy October, and an S- day tomorrow for Halloween, I think I need to get my habits back in order as the holidays approach. Starting Tuesday I'll do 21 days of No- S with no mods. This will bring me just about up to Thanksgiving, and hopefully keep me strong through December.

Every time I try a mod with good intentions, it seems to backfire on me. So, I want to get back to the good start I had with No- S a year and a half ago, and hopefully see more changes in my body. I don't want to be the same weight starting the next new year as I was this past January, and even a couple of pounds lost would be a good step.

So, 21 day challenge of No- S starting November 1st. I wouldn't really consider this a restart. It's more like an affirmation of what I know to be good and sane habits in dealing with food.

Last edited by ceo418 on Mon Oct 31, 2016 12:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I consider using No S like being married, though failing at the rules isn't like sleeping with someone else! Going on a specific diet with prescribed meals or limits, THAT would be abandoning No S. Just like married people go through times when they are perturbed with their mate, when they probably aren't behaving the way they really need to in order to truly honor the marriage, so do No S-ers go through times of letting the overeating neural patterns convince us that nibbling, seconds, sweets, etc., are all good ideas. But we've still always been "married" underneath it all. Thus I understand what you mean by saying that you're not really restarting. You actually always felt it was a great way to live.

Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 9 years & counting
Age 65
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

I had a green day yesterday, and in all honesty the only time I thought about eating outside of meals was during the morning, at the time when I normally start feeling hungry but it's too early for lunch and I already had breakfast. So, I just went for a walk in the parking lot at work and drank some water, and that got me through to lunch.

I also made sure the food fit entirely on my plate without hanging off the side, and took a smaller portion of the pasta than I normally do (and thus have plenty of leftovers even after my boyfriend ate his share!).

For some reason tonight is a struggle. I had three meals today, and I didn't have any problems with cravings until after dinner. I'm occupying myself with tv and seltzer, so hopefully I can get through the evening without turning it into a red day. &#128522;

Yep, it worked. I stayed green all last week and had two nice S-days. Well, Saturday wasn't quite so good because I woke up feeling dizzy and could barely keep anything down until almost noon, and then spent the rest of the day on the couch. Once I did get hungry, though, I had some small pieces of chocolate along with my meals. Sunday was better, because I was feeling good and able to have some treats. Back to N-days this week!

Yesterday was a solid green day, and I'm expecting that today will be one as well. When I was arriving home yesterday I was carrying a heavy grocery bag, my purse, and my empty lunch bag from work and as I approached the building there was suddenly pain spread all the way across my upper back. It stayed through the whole evening, although it got better with some ibuprofen. The good news is that I didn't even think about turning to food for comfort (the fact that bending down or reaching up to get things made the pain worse helped). I just relaxed on the sofa with some seltzer and then laid in bed before going to sleep. It wasn't too bad this morning but we'll see how the day goes. The last week and a half or so has been a "not feeling well" period, so hopefully that all clears up soon.

Yesterday was a solid green day, and I'm expecting that today will be one as well. When I was arriving home yesterday I was carrying a heavy grocery bag, my purse, and my empty lunch bag from work and as I approached the building there was suddenly pain spread all the way across my upper back. It stayed through the whole evening, although it got better with some ibuprofen. The good news is that I didn't even think about turning to food for comfort (the fact that bending down or reaching up to get things made the pain worse helped). I just relaxed on the sofa with some seltzer and then laid in bed before going to sleep. It wasn't too bad this morning but we'll see how the day goes. The last week and a half or so has been a "not feeling well" period, so hopefully that all clears up soon.

Ouch! hope you feel better soon, but congratulations on not turning to food! Have to celebrate those victories .

Homeschool Mom and No S returnee as of 11-30-15.
2 years and counting on No-S.
29 lbs. down, 34 to go. Slow and steady wins the race.
Respect Moderation

I'm satisfied with how the weekend turned out. Wednesday was an NWS day, but I just had some cookies. Thanksgiving went well. I had two small plates of a few appetizers, a plate of pasta, a plate of turkey and sides with seconds on a couple of sides, and apple pie and ice cream. Friday was an N- day, and this weekend I've made cookies that are almost all in the freezer now. I also ate some Christmas themed chocolates, but those have been put away in the cupboard for the week. I'm looking forward to getting back to N days!

Last night I was really tempted by the candy dish full of Hershey's kisses and other Christmas chocolates that's sitting on our living room table, but I held fast. Sometimes it amazes me how I'm able to keep strictly to No-S, and that I really don't need any modifications to it. Of course, I then cycle through periods of time when I start thinking a mod would be nice, but it never seems to work out. So, vanilla No-S it is.

Looking ahead to December, there are only two days that I have planned for NWS-days. On the 16th I have to have a root canal done ( ) and I'm taking the day off from work for it. I've never had one before so I'm not sure what to expect, but I doubt I'll feel like eating much afterwards. Maybe soft foods for a couple of days? I'm glad I scheduled it for a Friday so I have the weekend to recover.

We're having our annual department party on the 22nd. It's only scheduled for an hour, and some people just come in and get food and go while most others come in, get food, and socialize. I'm planning to bring a cheese/crackers/meat tray, and maybe just have some yogurt or a light bit of soup for lunch. The party will be from 2-3, so that's way too long to just tough it out after eating breakfast at 5:30!

If other options for party-type events come up I'll be flexible, but I don't see any on the horizon right now. The holidays fall on weekends this year so I probably won't need any extra S-days right around them.

I weighed myself this morning and the scale is the same as it was a few weeks ago, but down a bit from where I was right after Halloween. Maybe I should look into a new scale, because I honestly sometimes think it just gives me the last number it remembers. Looking in the mirror while getting dressed, I felt like I could see some good changes. I have a doctor's appointment next Monday so we'll see where I am on their scales compared to last year.

All in all, I think I'm in a good place with No-S right now. I will be enjoying some treats this weekend, both homemade and store bought, and after this week I will have earned them!

I actually still can't imagine having candy sitting out, but mazel tov! But I'm still a bit amazed that I can walk by candy aisles or stand in line at the register with all the candy sitting there that I used to choose from liberally and have very little thought to buy any of it. You know those supermarket shopping carts whose wheels lock when someone tries to take them out of the parking lot? It feels inside sometimes like what I imagine that mechanism is. Way deep inside is a little locking mechanism. But it doesn't work at home. I think if I lived with someone and s/he wanted it around, I'd learn.

I've had many root canals done. It will likely be easy to work around. You may not even need a NWS day. I don't count them as NWS if I end up eating less...

Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 9 years & counting
Age 65
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2